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UW-Green Bay professor among recipients of 2024 Regents Diversity Award

by · February 13, 2024

(WLUK) — A professor at UW-Green Bay is being honored with an award commending her work to support student success.

Dr. Christine Smith has been named one of three winners of the 2024 Diversity Awards, the Universities of Wisconsin announced Monday. Dr. Smith is a psychology professor in UWGB’s Department of Psychology and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

For 16 years, the Board of Regents has recognized “individuals and programs that foster access and success for students who are members of historically underrepresented populations.” Recipients of this year’s awards will be honored Feb. 9 in Madison at the next Regents meeting. Each winner will also receive $7,500 to further professional development or advance the program being recognized.

We are proud to recognize the profound impact of these individuals and programs in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Regent Héctor Colón, who chaired the special Regents’ committee to determine the recipients. “Students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds are benefiting from their dedication to expanding opportunity and building partnerships.

According to a news release, award recipients were chosen using the following criteria:

  • Sustainable positive impact on equity and diversity, leading to positive institutional change.
  • Accountability demonstrated through routine assessment and feedback to promote forward movement on equity and diversity goals.
  • Intersections across multiple dimensions of diversity.
  • Collaborations with other units, departments, or communities – within the university and beyond.

Dr. Smith’s diversity efforts and contributions are described within the release:

Dr. Smith has served since 2008 in many capacities that have positively impacted equity and diversity at UW-Green Bay, including co-founding the Pride Center, coordinating Women’s History Month events, chairing the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program for six years, and overseeing the creation of the LGBT Certificate.

In Fall 2020, she co-created, along with UW-Green Bay student Hanette Kamanda, the program BIPOC R.I.S.E. (Black and Indigenous People of Color Reaching Intersectional Strength through Engagement), a peer mentoring program created to provide Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and multicultural students with academic, emotional, psychosocial, relational, and professional support. Renamed “New Scholars Rising,” the program recently expanded to include first-generation students.

Approximately 50 percent of UW-Green Bay undergraduates are first-generation. Smith has mentored students in over 70 high-impact, independent learning experiences, including internships, research assistantships, independent studies, teaching assistantships, and honors projects; many of the research students have gone on to present at regional and national conferences.

Provost Glendalí Rodríguez, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at UW-Stout, and the Campus Garden Program at UW-Whitewater were recognized as the remaining two winners.

Source: UW-Green Bay professor among recipients of 2024 Regents Diversity Award

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